Page 24 of Fight for Me
Jake smiled as he stood and jogged over to the porch. He mounted the steps and wrapped his mother in a bear hug. She smelled like sugar and blackberries, scents that hinted at jam-making in progress.
“Well, alright then. I guess you can come inside,” she said, feigning reluctance. “Your daddy will be in later.”
Jake nodded, looking toward the field where he could hear the sound of heavy machinery. His father, uncles and cousins were hard at work planting winter wheat, and he felt a familiar pang of guilt for not being there to help. Farming was a family business for the Tanners and had been ever since Grandma Ruby’s father bought the first acres in the early 1900s.
“Don’t do that,” his mother said sharply, her eyes missing nothing. “I know what you’re thinking, and we’re not going to discuss it again. There are plenty of strong young men around here to carry on with, and another one would just get underfoot.”
Jake pressed his lips together, familiar with the sentiment but still feeling its sting. Thankfully, three of his cousins had been born with soil in their veins and seemed happy to carry the family business into the next generation. For that, he was grateful.
“Now, what would you like for breakfast?” his mother asked, shooing him through the open screen door and toward the kitchen. “And don’t tell me you ate something at school, because I know those protein bars and sugary cereals just don’t cut it.”
It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning, but Jake chuckled, knowing that protest would be worse than futile. If there was one thing Kathleen Tanner did well, it was feed people, and if you didn’t eat willingly, she would hound you until you changed yourmind. He watched her unhook a large pan from a rack above the stove before reaching into the refrigerator for eggs. Truth be told, his stomach had started growling the moment he’d turned into the driveway.
“Where’s Ash?” he asked, turning to look out the picture window into the backyard. A tall row of sunflowers reached for the sky along one side of the garden shed, while a flock of birds harvested the seeds that had fallen to the ground.
“Your sister has a new ‘beau,’ as Grandma Ruby says,” his mother announced, obviously pleased. “Do you remember Tommy Garland from a few farms over?”
Jake turned, his brows raised. He texted his sister a few times a week and saw her on campus periodically. She definitely hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend.
“Of course I remember Tommy; he was the same year as me in school. Don’t tell me she’s taken up with him?” He scoffed. “Tommy was the biggest idiot I’d ever met until Conner James came along.”
“Well,” his mother said, smiling, “Tommy has turned into a respectable young man. He’s finishing up business school in Hampton and works at an office down the street from where Ashlyn teaches at the daycare. They make a smart couple, if I do say so myself.”
Jake made a face, trying not to picture his baby sister making a “smart couple” with anybody.
“Anyway, I expect they’ll both come for dinner tonight,” his mother finished as she flipped a few pieces of bacon. They sizzled loudly in the hot pan, and Jake did all he could not to drool.
“How did Brooklyn’s campus visit go yesterday?” she asked, without looking up.
“Well, I had to peel her off some guy on a motorcycle, so I’d say she had fun.”
His mother’s hands stilled over the stovetop, and her eyes cut over to him suspiciously. Jake laughed.
“Mom, seriously, I took her to dinner at the Hawk’s Nest and lost miserably at pool. I’ll have to throw her in the pond the next time I see her, but she enjoyed herself,” he said, leaning back in his chair. It was a bad habit he just couldn’t seem to kick.
“Good. Christy and Rob will be glad you took care of her. That’s what cousins are for, you know,” his mother said, retrieving a plate and glass from the cabinet to her left. “So,” she went on, leaving an obvious pause, “your girlfriend was okay with you taking another young woman to dinner?” She cut her eyes toward him again, a hopeful smile flickering on her face.
Jake knew exactly what she was fishing for.
“No, Mama. There’s no girlfriend,” he answered, leaning forward again so that all four legs of his chair were back on the floor.
His mother rapped the wooden handle of her spatula against the counter with an intensity that made him jump.
“Jacob Ryan!” she said, exasperated. “You are a kind, decent, handsome young man with excellent career prospects and an almost-finished college degree. You explain to me right this minute why you can’t seem to find a nice young woman to bring home to your mama.”
Jake started to laugh but stopped short when he found the business-end of his mother’s cooking spoon pointed in his direction.
“This isn’t a laughing matter, young man. I didn’t raise you to be a perfect gentleman just to waste all those good manners on a hunting dog,” she said, shaking the spoon as she spoke.
Jake worked hard to keep his amusement contained; he’d seen enough of that spoon as a child.
“I know you’re still young, but one of these days, I’d like to have grandchildren,” she went on. She turned back to the stove and loaded a plate with scrambled eggs and crisp bacon.
“Sounds like you’ll have Ashlyn and Tommy for that,” Jake quipped, letting his grin rip open. His mother pressed her lips together, and he knew she was trying just as hard not to laugh. Her eyes softened as she brought his plate to the table and set it down in front of him.
“Jacob, I just want you to find someone who makes you happy, who lights up your heart and makes you glad to come home at night. I want to know that someone will take care of you after I’m gone.”
Her words made something tug inside Jake’s chest the way only a mother’s could.
